


The Kamski Hierarchy

by samasim



Series: Providence [2]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: A bunch of smartass rich engineers appear, And Simon is just tired, Angst and Feels, Elijah’s that parent who trips their own kid when they’re trying to learn how to ride a bike, Father-Son Relationship, Friendship, Gen, Good Parent Hank Anderson, Hank Anderson & Connor Parent-Child Relationship, Hank is surrounded by Zoomers, Hank swears a lot but come on what did you expect, Having an IQ of 171 must be quite lonely, Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Protective Hank Anderson, Under This Roof the Jericrew Loves & Respects Connor, When parents and best friends work together to save your ass, When your robo-son is a badass but things can still happen, Worried Hank Anderson, everyone is worried
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:34:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28457655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samasim/pseuds/samasim
Summary: Barely escaping a heinous android trafficking crime, Connor’s arms are out of commission. His condition unexpectedly takes a turn for the worse, and there are no compatible parts to fix the escalating damage.Desperate, Hank - and Markus - turn to the last person they want involved in all this for help.Disturbing secrets about Cyberlife and Connor’s creation come to light. Fear and paranoia soon permeate New Jericho like a plague, and Markus makes a decision that causes widespread pandemonium.
Relationships: Connor & Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Hank Anderson & Connor, Markus & Simon (Detroit: Become Human)
Series: Providence [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2084328
Comments: 10
Kudos: 45





	The Kamski Hierarchy

**Author's Note:**

> A.N: This is Part 2 and the direct sequel to ‘The Only Truth that Sticks’. Read it first to fully enjoy the story.

_“To complain to mere Man, rather than God, is a humiliation.”_

_Proverb_

_________________

Back in the accursed maintenance room again.

Hank had given up on any semblance of comfort hours ago, even after the android named Simon had brought him pillows for the uncomfortable chair. Instead, the hard-boiled lieutenant had taken to prowling the small room like a tiger in a cage. Time passed sluggishly, yet the sound of beeping machinery never ceased to grate on his already-taught nerves. Again, Simon pleaded with him to sit and eat something and ‘relax’, and Hank waved him off.

Truth be told, his back and neck were killing him. Him and Connor had been there for over four hours. Yet he swallowed his tongue and remained silent, having neither the energy - nor heart - to complain.

He felt sorry for Markus. What an awful situation, to be in his shoes.

The leader of the androids was sitting stock-still on one of the steel chairs, with Connor sat on the cot opposite him. His right hand was clasped tightly around the RK800’s damaged, misshapen left wrist in a deep interface. Where the palm of Markus’s white hand pulsed with a minute cool current, almost invisible to the human eye, Connor’s arm was a mess of blotchy skin projection, poorly cauterized plastimetal and lights blinking through the cracks. Hank could glimpse the shimmering dark blue cords - _veins_ \- carrying blue blood all around his partner’s body.

Markus’s face was a frozen, contorted mask of misery. More than once he shuddered, as if about to wrench his hand from Connor’s arm, but would settle again into that unnervingly still state. Connor, LED pulsing an unsteady yellow and the occasional red throb, was far less loaded, but the lingering flashes of distress and sadness never left his endearing face. It took Hank more willpower than anyone would believe to stop himself from embracing the kid.

The damaged connector lines in his limb sputtered with red and green static, and the communication nodes - vibrating from the excess strain, heated as Connor relentlessly pushed the information as fast as he could without crashing the modules. If they crashed, he would not be able to get them up again. Hank did not have to be a tech genius to know flashing red lights were not a good thing.

“How are his systems?” he again asked the android sitting in front of a monitor with a cable connecting to Connor’s temple. They had referred to it as a ‘Defragmenter’ or some shit. “An’ how much longer does he need to keep going?”

If Josh was tired by the constant hounding, he showed no indication. “His right arm is permanently offline,” he replied regretfully. “And now only 16% of the communication nodes in his left arm are functional, down from 28% when he started transmitting. He can’t transfer any faster than this, and the information’s complex - it takes longer for some types of data to transmit to older models. The main connectors are damaged and the auxiliary channels are the only way now to send and create a backup, but there’s a lot of noise interference-”

“Would you say another half hour?” interrupted Hank impatiently.

“I’m almost done,” Connor spoke up from where he was sitting, both RKs’ rapidly-blinking eyes focused solely on each other. “Ninety-six point eight percent of the data has been transmitted.”

“Fucking finally..”

Markus neither spoke nor breathed still. It had become apparent early into their session that the data transmission process was very taxing, to the point where other processes had to be halted. His body remained frozen in its position, his face the only indicator of his emotions, strangled as they were.

And for the love of God, Hank could not imagine why some smartass at Cyberlife thought it was a good idea to make overloaded androids _sweat_.

“Markus,” warned Josh, staring intently at the monitor. The beeping noise had gone up in volume. “Close the #346 and #577 lines and don’t overload the auxiliary pathways...your processing power is at 85%... _Markus-_ ”

The android leader forcefully let out a static grunt of disagreement. Despite Hank’s protests, Connor had made it clear that he would send Markus every bit of data he had on the events at the warehouse, and the four androids that nearly abducted him, before his channels failed.

It was only a matter of time before his left arm went offline as well, he had said.

And there they were. Hank was worried, pissed off, and still had no idea how he was going to fix Connor. Markus and his friends seemed to not have much to go on, either.

The android he recognized to be North walked back into the room. “Still nothing on possible spares for biocomponents 6127j, 6379g and 6424,” she said tersely. “Patricia and Hugo are on it, they’ll let us know as soon as they find something.”

“And the 6110e thirium flow package?” asked Simon.

“We’re good, there’s a compatible 5997z spare,” said North, to the android’s relief.

“What’re those for? What does he need?” Hank did not know the androids very well on the personal level - he had only really interacted with them a handful of times in less than pleasant situations, but if there was one thing he really liked about North, it was her ability to explain things curtly and simply.

“Those biocomponents are unique to his model,” she said. “One’s for dexterity, one’s for hand-eye coordination, and the last one’s for forensic analysis and data transfer.”

“Yeah, no one’s gonna miss it if he stops licking the goddamn evidence, so that one’s not important,” dismissed Hank. “What about the other two? Surely there’s something that can be a temp - I mean what android _doesn’t_ have dexterity and hand-eye coordination?”

“It’s not that simple. Those parts for Connor are unique because they’re too closely related to other components that serve his line of work. They were designed with different sets and parameters, and they’re very complex. There’s nothing close enough.”

Hank swore, running a hand down his face.

“They’re running through every Cyberlife warehouse in the country right now,” said North. “We should know within the next hour if they find those two parts.”

 _Those two parts_. The androids did not even have any hope of finding the forensics-specific component.

Hank honestly did not give a single flying shit about having ‘on-site forensic analysis’, but he knew Connor would be deeply disconcerted with missing his ability to sample evidence in real time, but the kid could learn to live with it.

It was not necessary. It was **_not_**.

 _Being a selfish prick again, huh._ His conscience piped up. _You know he’ll be deeply upset over this_. _You’re more concerned with him being alive for your sake than him doing what he finds purpose in._

 _Shut. The. Fuck. Up. There’s nothing we can do_ , Hank shoved down the implicating voice. Detective android or not, nobody needed that one component to fucking _live_. He just wanted his partner to be healthy and _alive_ and with him. He could still do his job like a typical human would, it did not need to be perfect.

 _Maybe what’s enough for a human isn’t enough for an android_ , a sudden intrusive thought returned, unsettling and unwelcome back into his mind. He was too taken aback to shut it up this time.

He turned to look again at Connor, and his heart clenched at the anxiety still rippling across the android’s face as he pushed the last of the information on to Markus through the dying links. The minuscule lights running along his damaged arm spazzed red through the cracks.

“Markus’s processor is at 90%, and 98% percent of the data’s transferred,” said Josh in relief. “We’re nearly there. Great work, Connor.”

After a momentary surge in transfer, the beeping eventually began to decelerate and became far more spread out, until it ceased and Markus finally and let go of Connor’s arm. The RK200 shakily braced himself on the chair with one hand, and his chest began to rise and fall once more as his simulated breathing automatically reactivated.

Then, as if someone had turned a dial, tears overflowed from his eyes as his processors regained some space and queued actions began to tumble though.

“I’m so sorry you had to go through this..!” The deviant leader said unsteadily. His voice was chopped, as if it was fighting for space with a hundred other processes. “I’m so sorry I..I can’t comprehend how those of our own could be part of this..how will people feel safe again knowing this..I - I have no idea how to tell them..”

“I can’t think of a reasonable motive..” said Connor. “Why would free androids kidnap and sell other androids? What do they gain? If it were just me, I’d understand it‘s because of my...history, bu-”

“ _No one_ has the right to hold your past over you,” snapped Markus, eyes blazing to life. “Connor, we’ve been over this - we’ve been over this a _hundred_ times. If you still think this way I don’t know what else I can say to get through to you. Lieutenant -” he turned suddenly to the human. “Tell him!”

Hank caught Connor’s eye, not bothering to hide a smirk; it validated him to no end that he and Markus were on the same page regarding Connor’s self-deprecation.

Josh moved to place comforting hands on the RK200’s shoulders. “If we tell everyone now, it’ll cause panic. We need to think of the best way to do this.” 

“No. This can’t wait,” said North. “People need to know what they’re up against. They need to be vigilant and protect themselves.”

“You go out there and tell them androids are kidnapping and selling androids and you’ll cause a panic,” countered Josh. “Innocents will end up hurt. No one’s gonna trust anyone and people will turn on each other over the smallest suspicions. Someone may end up arrested or _killed_ because they looked at someone the wrong way, or just because they were at the wrong place at the wrong time!”

“So let’s just leave them in the dark?!”

“I need to think,” said Markus, face miserable and far away. “But they need to know. I need to think how I can tell them without causing panic or losing hope.”

“Maybe tell them to watch out for rogue androids serving humans,” suggested Simon calmly.

“That’s not the truth-” started North.

“Yes, but it’s not a lie, either. Listen, I don’t like this any more than you do, but Josh is right. Don’t go out there and tell them that their own neighbor may be plotting to sell them in the black market. We have to go about this in the least damaging way, for the safety of the whole community.”

There was a moment of silence as they considered this course of action, and Connor - because of fucking _course_ \- leaned forward and dragged his left hand - shaking horribly and with it giving Hank the morbid indicator that it was on its way out - onto Markus’s own. Always putting others before himself. Always trying to fix mistakes even if they were not his own.

He loved the kid. So damn much. What the fuck was he even doing living with him.

“I know this is going to...well, piss you off, North, but I’m with Simon on this,” Connor said, eyes downcast. North looked very displeased, but did not have the heart to attack him.

“..Is there any possibility of this being a virus?” wondered Josh.

Connor shook his head. “I didn’t detect any such activity when I interfaced with one of the androids - Just the typical deviancy overrides. If it were a virus, it would be an easy problem to solve.”

Hank sighed, feeling like the villain for dashing their sliver of hope. “Hate to break it to you, but the probability of those androids being zombies is slim to none. They knew exactly what they were doin’. Fuck, I - there’s no fancy way t’ explain this but when you’ve worked this job for years like I have, you learn who commits a crime out of desperation, and who commits it out of atrocity. I know what I saw - that piece of shit knew what she was doing.” Connor nodded to his words sadly.

A few urgent knocks came on the door. North let out a deep sigh, and placed her palm on the lock to open it. “I was wondering when your fanclub would show up.”

Connor looked abashed. “..My-?”

“Connor!”

A group of androids - many of which were the same model, clamored at the door, and some noisily pouring into the room.

“Is he alright?”

“What _happened_?”

“I heard someone tried to kidnap him!”

“Are you gonna be okay, Connor?”

“Why did no one tell me sooner?!”

Someone was grossly sobbing something that sounded like, “ _Oh thank RA9..thank RA9, I'm so relieved-!_ ”

“Hugo! Didn’t I tell you to keep your mouth shut until we figured out what to do?” snapped North over the noise. The dark-haired, blue-eyed AP700 keeping the door open gave her a small smile. Hank noted with interest that the android, like Connor, still had his LED in his temple.

“This is Connor we’re talking about here - did you really think I’d keep this a secret from them?”

The androids crowded around Connor, staring at his arms sorrowfully. One android burst into fresh tears again.

“I‘ll be alright, I promise!” Connor assured them, schooling his expression into a gentle sincerity. “Please don’t worry about me, and listen to North - it’s better if this didn’t get around. We’ve found several missing people today. People should be celebrating, not living in fear-”

The noise in the room went up as Connor’s friends talked over each other, trying to get a word in or get more information out of him or the others. Some of them noticed that Markus seemed withdrawn in his own head, and began to ask if he was alright.

The lieutenant held on to his thinning patience and leaned back against the wall, observing. In spite of the situation, it warmed and settled his heart; Connor was not ostracized in Jericho - no, he was respected, was loved. A lot of androids clearly looked up to him, like they did Markus and his friends.

But then the unease returned, and he once more began to ponder why his partner chose to walk away from it when everything pointed to him being better off with his own kind.

Hank firmly shooed the thought a little too quickly.

“Connor - your core analytics program is exhibiting a significant instability,” Hugo said suddenly.

His tense voice quickly silenced everyone in the room. Hank pushed himself off the wall, shoulders tightening. Markus snapped out of his reverie. Josh and North’s faces betrayed their worry. The AP700 was staring intently at the RK800, scanning him.

“Alright, that's enough. Thank you for coming, but Connor needs to de-stress,” said Simon finally, ushering the rest out. A tirade of questions and complaints erupted.

“Hugo, what’s going on?”

“Hey, wait a minute Simon - you can’t just push us out without an explanation-!”

“What the hell is going on!”

“But...but I still don’t know what _happened_ ,” a small YK500 boy android in the crowd said in timid frustration. He looked like a puppy lost in a sea of long legs.

“I'll explain everything later,” said Simon in his usual languid manner, shooing them out and locking the door again. He breathed an apology through the door at the ongoing protests.

“You and your big damn mouth,” said North, her voice tight. “What’s going on?”

Hugo, being a model with supreme scanners made to detect the slightest change in human and android anatomy alike, promptly turned to the supplies cabinet and began to pull out some items. “Biocomponent #8766j is short-circuiting,” he said shortly. “Simon, get me a #771 vein.”

Josh was back at his monitor and rapidly typing. “..You’re right,” he breathed. “ _How_? It was functional a few minutes ago!”

“The hell’s going on?!” demanded Hank, fear spiking through his chest.

Connor seemed as taken aback as everyone else. He ran a diagnostic. “Found it,” he confirmed after a few moments. “I had to run a manual scan to detect it. This doesn’t make sense..my self-repair program is not acknowledging it at all.”

“Your self-repair program is malfunctioning,” said Hugo, humor gone and replaced with grim focus. He gently pushed Connor to lean his back against the wall, took his limp hand and began to push a thin wiry cord through the index finger. He took the other end and threaded it through the biocomponents he had pulled from the storage. “These are biocomponents #1448 and #1501y, universal YK600 parts, compatible with every android. Keep the connection at this voltage and don't remove them unless I say so.”

“Kid, tell me what’s going on!” snapped Hank. He could hear the constricted fear in his own voice. This was not about a missing biocomponent anymore, was it? Was the kid getting worse?

“The corrupted biocomponents are trying to come back online, and they’re interfering with other biocomponents and altering the flow of his thirium,” said Josh tersely, tapping at the screen furiously. “Your self-repair program is neither recognizing nor fixing the issue-”

“This is serious,” said Hugo. “You have to stay overnight, Connor. I need to keep an eye on your systems manually.”

Markus swore tightly, standing up and pacing. Hank and Connor looked at each other, seeing the fear in each other’s eyes.

Simon, in the quiet and poised nature his model was renowned for, sat down and began to assemble the exterior parts so that they were not constantly jostled. He ran a hand along Connor’s limp arm and shoulder comfortingly.

“I just got disconnected from Patricia,” Hugo said, “Still nothing on your spare parts.” He handed Simon another oddly-shaped device and he connected it to the other two biocomponents whilst he rummaged through yet another box of wires. “It may be a long while until something becomes available, and even that may not be fully compatible.”

The AP700 turned and locked eyes with the android who meant so much to him - the one who woke him up in the Tower, and said: “The way things are, the only option we have right now is for the technicians to reverse-engineer your systems.”

“Wait, wait, _wait_ just a minute! Reverse-engineer as in...take him apart?”

The androids turned to look at the human, and wisely kept silent. Connor nodded, knowing full well what his reaction would be.

“ _That’s out of the fucking question!_ ” shouted Hank. “You’re going to take him apart to fix him?! How long will that even take?”

“It’s..hard to give an accurate estimate,” the AP700 said. “Possibly five weeks.”

“Five _weeks-_?!”

“There are no RK blueprints to work from, and no spare parts,” said Connor quietly, and Hank turned on him, outraged and horrified he would even _consider_ it. The android could not bring himself to look his partner in the eye. “I hate it, but if it’s the only way we got..”

“Hell no. Like hell I’m gonna sit around while people take you apart on a _gamble_ they might be able to fix you. The spare parts you need will inevitably turn up so just _wait_. This ain’t fucking legos - isn't that effectively _deactiva - what if they can’t put you back together_?”

“Hank, that’s entirely-” Connor started.

“Don’t ‘Hank’ me,” he cut him off, pointing a threatening finger. “Don’t you _fucking_ ‘Hank’ me. I refuse you go through with this aimless operation!”

North looked about to argue. Markus grabbed her hand and pinned her with a silencing look.

“We don’t have the luxury of time or choice,” said Hugo. “Vital Biocomponent #8766j has a 20% chance of failing even with support from the YK600 parts. And if it fails, it will affect the integrity of other components.”

Tension in the room spiked. Hank swore profusely. Simon promptly pressed two fingers to his temple. “I’ll get Eren and Mikaela down right away.”

“What the - you’re doing this _now_?” yelled the lieutenant, the unmistakable edge of panic seeping through. “No fucking way.”

“This is a serious matter, Lieutenant!” snapped North, unable to contain herself anymore. “It’s not gonna fix itself, the technicians need to intervene right away-”

“ ** _Fuck off_**!” he roared, his voice echoing in the room, charged and hostile. He was off the wall and at Connor’s side in an instant. “You don’t know what you’re doing!”

“ _We_ don’t know what we’re doing?” she snarled back, the dams bursting open. “I’d love to see how _you’re_ handling it! Are you listening to yourself?! Newsflash - he’s an _android,_ Lieutenant! Connor. Is. An. _Android_.”

Hank bristled. “Don’t talk to me like I-”

“You sure about that? You _sure_?” she interrupted. “This keeps happening and I knew we’d be in this position one day!

“You have _no_ idea how to help him when he’s damaged and that’s not gonna change - he needs his own people who know what to do. This isn't swapping one part for another, androids need technical intervention to survive - you can’t willpower this away and then get emotional when it doesn't work because you don't want to acknowledge that we’re machines!”

“North. That’s _enough_ ,” said Markus sternly.

Hank glared at the female android in silent fury. He felt every pair of eyes in the room on him. He caught Connor’s concerned face, and he deflated, suddenly realizing how unhinged he must look.

“North, that’s my decision to make, and I’ve made it a long time ago.” Connor said, his words calm after their outbursts, but in a clipped tone that made it clear this was not a topic for discussion. Hugo, nonplussed, made him lay down and started connecting another wire.

“I agree with Lieutenant Anderson,” said Markus firmly, gazing at them all. Steady. Determined.

North was at a loss for words, eyes overbright, fear for her friend more than apparent. The RK200 laid his hands on her shoulders and squeezed. “I completely understand where you and Hugo are coming from, but I agree with him. Let's not kid ourselves - this is a very dangerous procedure that we don’t fully understand. Trying to create a blueprint through reverse-engineering is very risky even in the best case scenario.” He turned to the RK800. “Please, don't go through with it, Connor. Not until it’s our very last resort..

“I can’t put this off any longer; I’m going up to meet Kamski in person.”

Hank jerked his head. “And I’m going with.”

North threw her arms in the air with a frustrated shout. “Why on _earth_ would the man whose _empire we ruined_ listen to anything we have to say?”

“Your idea of Kamski is very skewed,” said Markus with surprising calm. “This myth many believe of him being an evil tyrant who wants to dominate androids has no basis in reality.”

“This is the last human on the planet who’d want to help us!”

“Our freedom has nothing to do with what Kamski wants. He hasn't been with Cyberlife for over a decade.”

North was staring open-mouthed at her mate like she was seeing him properly for the first time. But rather than shout, a tear escaped from her eye despite her. “How do you know that?” she asked, almost pleadingly. Her voice carried a particular, haunted sadness to it. “How do you expect any of us to believe he won’t take advantage of the situation?”

“He’s not what you think he is. I’ve met him several times before, with Carl,” he said.

 _That_ was definitely news to Hank, and apparently to all the other occupants of the room.

“Where?” asked Josh curiously, with an expression the lieutenant could call fascination. He realized it may well be, knowing your companion had met the man who was effectively the god of all androids.

“They move in similar circles,” answered Markus. “And Kamski’s an avid fan of Carl’s work - dare I say, his biggest collector.”

Josh considered that for a brief moment, before saying. “I’m coming with you.”

“No. Stay here with Hugo, and keep Connor’s and the others’ systems stable. You have the deepest knowledge of defragmentation. North, I want you to stay as well. Someone has to look after Jericho, and-”

“And?”

“You and Kamski wouldn’t get along,” he said, a ghost of a knowing smile blooming on his face. “I’m doing this. It’ll be much faster if I do all the talking - plus I’m the only one with systems compatible enough to re-transfer Connor’s data if necessary. ”

“He won’t be alone,” Hank assured her, laying this down as a wordless, prideful gesture of goodwill between the two of them. “I’ll be sticking to him like fucking glue. Last time we were there, the creep tried to goad Connor into shooting another android.”

North stared at him in stunned horror. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

“I don’t like this. I have a bad feeling,” said Connor broodingly, and Hank got a sense of deja vu. “..but I don’t see any other choice. Kamski is a very difficult man to understand.”

He turned his large dark eyes to Markus. “Maybe you’ll have a better chance learning something from him. He did, after all, help me in his own way.” He smiled fondly at Hank when the human made a derisive sound.

“If something comes out of this, Markus, this can be a-”

“Life-changing win for all androids,” completed the android leader, a steely look in his striking eyes. “I won’t leave his place without a solution, I promise you,” he turned to assure North again. “I’ll be safe. The Lieutenant’s with me.”

“I’m coming, too,” said Simon. Markus hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

“Oh, come on! Why does Simon get to go and not me?” asked North. Simon simply gave her a small smirk over his shoulder. She turned with a groan, dropping her face in her hand. “Jerk. Don’t answer that.”

“Arright, children, let’s get going,” said Hank impatiently, turning to Connor, a hand coming to rest between his nape and shoulder. He noticed, with no small amount of anxiety, that Connor’s arm was very still. Too still. Even the small red lights previously flashing through the damage were dim and unpronounced.

“We’ll be back as soon as we can. You hang in there and go to stasis or whatever you call it and save your energy. Don’t go into anything without me here. Got it?”

Connor held his gaze for a moment before his eyes flickered downwards. He opened his mouth, then hesitated with whatever he was meaning to say.

“Promise me, Connor,” Hank growled.

Connor lifted his expressive eyes back to him, and Hank had to mentally steel himself against it. He refused to give. He refused to back down from this.

“I won’t start anything until I’ve told you,” the android said finally, and Hank thought he was going to blow a gasket.

“Wh-!”

“Markus there is no time,” interrupted Hugo, an unmistakable edge to his voice. Whether it was from stress, or disapproval of Hank’s words, the human did not know and did not care. “If you’re going to meet him, go _now_.”

Markus nodded grimly, unoffended by the AP700’s less than polite urging. “Connor, be safe. Lieutenant, I’m going to the control room to convert and organize the data. We leave in ten minutes.”

The android leader was already out the door and up the staircase, closely flanked by Simon, allowing the human and android a quick moment to speak. But Hank did not want to leave Connor’s side, not when something was wrong with his systems. Not when the bastard would not promise him not to do something completely reckless.

The deceiving fact that on the outside Connor seemed fine - save for his arms, was probably the _one_ thing keeping Hank from losing his shit and he knew it.

But he was not blind. Connor’s friends were a hair from panicking, and Hank felt like a fool for not truly grasping the gravity of the damage. But perhaps that was for the better.

He needed his wits about him if he was going to beat the solution out of Kamski if the man so much as uttered a word of his philosophical bullshit at him.

“I won’t start anything unless the situation’s dire,” promised Connor, holding his gaze in that soulful way of his.

Not what he wanted to hear at all. “Can it turn serious fast? Don’t lie to me, Connor.”

“It’s a possibility.”

Hank was silent for a moment, ice-blue eyes not breaking from Connor’s own warm brown ones. “Is your communication node working?”

Connor did a quick scan. “It’s unstable.”

“If I can’t reach you, I’ll call Josh. I’ll call every hour, an’ you better answer. Got it?”

Connor’s sweet eyes crinkled as he nodded. Hank pulled him into a hug, careful not to jostle the components he was attached to. The android’s arms were completely motionless at his side. Offline. It set a fire ablaze in Hank’s gut.

This time, he would not leave Kamski’s place without a solution. His wits were hanging by a thread and he had absolutely no patience.

He turned to the AP700. “Don’t leave him for a second,” he ordered. He did not care if he came across like a complete asshole. “Look after him like your life depends on it.”

He had to force himself to leave, hateful of the fact he had to leave without even knowing what horror his partner had experienced inside that warehouse mere hours ago.

_________________

Knowing he couldn’t put it off any longer, Hank finally called back Fowler, 21 missed calls later.

He caught Simon’s surprised expression in the rear view mirror as Fowler’s voice carried to the back while he tore him a new one. Hank forced himself to swallow his pride and remain silent; he would never admit it then, but he knew he was screwing his longtime friend and superior over.

“- _and_ _not only did you break your suspension twelve fucking hours after you were suspended, you kept firing a service weapon on an active dock in front of your colleagues and juniors whom you’re supposed to be a goddamn example for, **Lieutenant**!_” the captain roared on the other side.

Hank bit down on his tongue, and said with forced calm: “I did what I had to do. In case ya missed it, we took down a trafficking ring.”

“ _Thanks for your timely report! It's been a real fucking pleasure hearing about your valiant heroics firsthand from Commander Williams himself,_ ” Fowler shouted, no less enraged.

Ah, shit.

“ _I’m sick of your bullshit, Hank. That's it, I'm done, I can't deal with this anymore. Get down here right now and clean this shit up with Williams yourself. I'm fucking done covering your ass._ ”

“Arright, arright, I’m on it as soon as I'm back-”

“ _Fucking hell you are. Get down here this fucking instant -”_

“Can't, Jeffrey, ‘m outta Detroit right now. Connor’s sick and needs help. Chris’ll fill you in on everythin’ - call ya back as soon as I can,” he gritted in a rush and hung up as Fowler started screaming again.

He knew that was not the end of it. Jeffrey was going to call again, and Hank was probably not going to answer, but that was not important right then.

It did not ease the guilt churning in his gut, however.

It was an ugly realization to revisit at the worst possible time; he was a shitty person to trust.

“ _Fuck_ ,” he hissed, the familiar chasm of self-loathing opening wide. Poisonous and black in its bottomlessness. Lips curled into a snarl, he gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white and took the necessary exit at a dangerously high speed. 

Seeing Markus’s face on his right as they swerved, he waved a dismissive hand. “..Sorry ‘bout that. Just the regular bullshit at work - don't worry, I ain't gonna kill us.”

“No, go. Go as fast as you can,” said Markus resolutely.

Twenty minutes had passed since he took Markus and Simon in his Oldsmobile and sped off towards northwest Detroit’s outskirts. Typically, it would take about three hours to make it from New Jericho to Kamski’s place.

Hank was determined to make it in two.

They flew through the highway. The wind roared through the open windows and disheveled their hair, nearly drowning out the rock music blaring from the old speakers. Hank easily changed lanes, sometimes several times a minute, overtook cars, and did not bother to reply to enraged drivers shouting obscenities at them.

By the time cars became few and far in between and the road stretched wide, the speedometer was reading an astounding 170km. Markus was relieved to detect the magnetic chip embedded in the windshield, identifying the car as belonging to a cop, thus highway patrol would not be dispatched. There was no time.

His stress levels were high, and rising with fear over Connor’s instability. His head was so busy with trillions of operations it felt like his processor was going to crash. He took a long, slow breath, leaned his head back and closed his eyes, and tried to focus on the cool wind hitting his face instead.

He found himself harshly remorseful for being unable to instigate a comforting interface with Connor, to mitigate some of the terror he had had to endure. He wished he could have sent him blanketing feelings and fond memories of inner warmth, reassurance, forgiveness, victory, friendship, family and fathers.

It was in Connor’s very character to forgo his own wellbeing; far too intrinsic of a trait to be changed by deviancy.

But it was not just his nature; even though androids had all kinds of varying degrees of self preservation depending on their occupations and objectives, Markus found a cruel degree of _deliberation_ in Connor’s lack of self-worth that he did not find in any other android he interfaced with. He had interfaced with the RK800 many times and had detected it - something buried deep in his programming, and fortified, far beyond his or any other android’s ability to access. It was baffling.

Whoever had created the bulk of Connor’s specific design on top of Kamski’s base RK programming seemed to have actively worked to chip away at that trait. He - an RK200 built by Kamski over a decade ago, had a significantly higher sense of self-worth than Connor did.

“..‘Ey, Markus,” the Lieutenant said, pulling the android out of his melancholic state. Although on the outside he looked composed, Markus could easily read the human’s elevated stress levels and blood pressure. “What's really going on with Connor’s systems? Why did that android say ‘there's no time’ - an’ don't spare my feelings - give it to me as it is.”

Markus pondered a suitable allegory the human could understand. “He's..extremely susceptible now; an android without a self-repair program is like a human without an immune system.”

The lieutenant’s jaw tightened even further. “So he’s vulnerable to all sorts of technical problems? Is that why something went wrong and no one detected it?”

“Yes. If it weren’t for Hugo, we wouldn't have known that Compon - his alternative for the pancreas was malfunctioning.”

“...is that related to his other forensics component that doesn't work anymore?”

“Yes, that’s right,” said Markus. “It stores the necessary chemicals that allow him to identify and dissolve substances on his tongue, and both those components are related to other parts that are in danger of malfunctioning as well.”

“..can't he live without the entire forensic analysis system or whatever it’s called? Can't we just remove them, like a tumor?”

Markus shook his head. “That's going in blind. Connor’s a very complex and meticulously-designed android, and there's none like him among us. We need his blueprints to work from. Even then,” he added more quietly. “If we were to successfully remove that system in its entirety..how badly would it affect his mental well-being?”

Hank turned to catch his gaze. “You're saying he won’t be able to handle doing his job like a regular human would? I get it - ‘s gonna be slow as hell, and frustrating and tedious, but he's gonna take that over being _dead_ , whether he likes it or not. He won't be the first or last person to downgrade to a normie - a lot of gifted humans go through that, too.”

“There is nothing normal about it-,” insisted Markus. “ _-because_ he’s an android, not a human.” He kept his voice calm and open; he did not want a repeat of the hurt North did not intend to cause. He did not think the lieutenant would tolerate that a second time.

But Hank’s gaze turned cold and withering. “I know what he is,” he said, voice low and dangerous.

Markus could almost hear the fans whirring in Simon’s head back there as he flitted through dozens of prompts to diffuse the spiking tension in the car. In any other situation, the look of poorly-concealed panic on Simon’s face in the rearview mirror would have been hilarious. Lieutenant Anderson was an intimidating man when he wanted to be.

“Please let me explain,” said Markus quietly. “I’ve interfaced with Connor many times, and although we have a lot in common, we were made for different purposes and Connor is more advanced than I am. Interfacing with him...it’s always an experience.”

Encouraged by the lieutenant’s rigid but attentive expression, he went on. “His attention to detail is _astonishing_ , it would be far beyond overwhelming to a human’s senses, and overloading most other androids. The sheer visual, auditory, motion and sensory input he receives from his surroundings every millisecond is massive, and it's the way he was designed. When he’s not in his element, when his senses are not sufficiently stimulated-”

“He gets keyed up,” realized Hank, understanding dawning on his face; his partner’s various tics and habits suddenly explained a lot.

“Exactly. What’s considered the healthy level of stimulation for him is what is like..almost, well...”

“An acid trip for the rest of us,” supplied Simon helpfully.

The RK200 smiled at him gratefully when the Lieutenant let out a surprised chuckle. “Damn, kid..! What the _hell_ \- so you take turns interfacing with him for a kick or something?”

“I don’t want to think how that kind of sensory deprivation could affect him. There's nothing normal about an RK being unable to analyze and reconstruct, let alone an RK800. He wouldn't be able to analyze evidence, thus can't make accurate assumptions. He wouldn't be able to preconstruct any crime scene. This is a _devastating_ disability for him, Lieutenant.

“We’re androids, we’re our own species, and our commonalities aren't the same as humans,” he _had_ to make the human understand, but he did not know if he could deliver it with mere words. Again, he wished there was a way for humans and androids to interface. “If you put a human in a white room, with nothing to see and nothing to hear, he’d go mad; there's a reason this is a tried and true method of torture. It's the same for androids in concept; what's normal for a human may not be normal for an android.”

Hank’s phone began to ring again. He picked it up, scowled, then shoved it under his thigh so they would not have to hear it.

“And what’re you expecting to get outta Kamski?” he snapped, the question coming out charged, like he was interrogating him, but Markus took no offense. In that short exchange, the lieutenant’s stress and heart rate had spiked even higher, and the caretaker in Markus revolted against the numbers on his HUD. Option after option to alleviate the stress appeared in his vision.

He looked out the window at the fleeting woods. What _did_ he expect Kamski to give him? The blueprints? Access to information? Engineers who would help? Advice?

“Help becoming independent of Cyberlife,” he answered finally. He winced at the hesitation in his voice. He could feel the human’s piercing eye on him, waiting for him to elaborate. “Being able to heal our own, and fair access to technical care for all androids without fear of not having the necessary parts because of the legal monopoly.”

“I don’t see why he’d help - ‘m just bettin’ on the hope he’s petty as shit and wants to see his old company burn,” said Hank in a low growl. “Or maybe get a few more billions from its dissolving, who knows with ‘im..”

He halted for a moment, pondering how much he should say; he did not want to share anything Connor had entrusted him with in case he had not yet talked about it with the others. “When we went back in November, he basically ignored me and screwed with Connor’s head instead. But in the end, he helped him in a way no one else could've. He didn't gain anything from it, either - guy probably just gets a kick outta watching Cyberlife use his own life’s work to shoot themselves in the foot. Anyway, you better be a _damn_ good negotiator, Markus, and Kamski better be really fond of you and Carl, ‘cause I ain’t leaving his place without a solution for Connor.”

“You needn’t say - if I have to compromise, I’ll take only what will help Connor,” said Markus.

Hank turned to him again, taken by surprise.

“Did you think I was going to walk away if he wouldn’t help us as a people? This may be a race and not a marathon but it’s not one I’m willing to compromise on.

“Connor did so much for me, for all of us, beyond anything that constitutes his duty as a free android or even a police officer. He saved me, he saved all of us, and I'm done seeing him damage and endanger himself,” said Markus heatedly. “I know humans don’t do things for free, but _I'm_ sometimes selfish too, Lieutenant. You want to know the truth? My one and only objective right now is to save one of my best friends even if he doesn’t see himself as such. I’m not,” his voice caught suddenly. “I’m not losing another person I care about to Cyberlife.”

“Jeez, kid,” was all Hank said, turning back to the road. Markus could still see the unhealthy numbers of his tension, but the man’s face seemed to soften considerably nonetheless. “We all gotta be selfish assholes once in a while. ‘M fucking glad he’s got friends like you,” he said gruffly.

“He’s incredibly lucky to have you as well, Lieutenant. It’s impossible for me to explain how much you mean to him.”

Hank made a scoffing sound. “I don’t think everyone agrees,” he said humorlessly. “North made it clear I’m a shit partner who doesn't know what the hell he’s doing.”

“And Connor made it clear his place is with you and the DPD,” Markus countered firmly. “She’s scared for him. He’s in a dangerous field, he keeps coming to us hurt and there aren’t enough compatible parts for him-”

“She sees herself in him,” Simon spoke up from the backseat. “She knows what it’s like to be used and demeaned. You feel like no matter what you do, you can ever be clean again.”

Hank swore softly under his breath. He wanted a drink. He really wanted a drink. So then he could go out and beat the ever living shit out of some people.

“What about you, Simon?” he asked, catching the gentle-faced android’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “Why do you wanna meet Kamski? Let me tell ya right now, kid, never meet your heroes. He ain’t the image your friend Josh thinks. Hell, I’m hanging all my hopes on Markus knowing how to deal with ‘im.”

“I want to understand why I deviated,” said Simon simply.

Hank blinked. He understood that not all androids went through a traumatic event to recognize their own autonomy, but to be unsure of when and how it happened? After all this time?

“How _did_ you know you were deviant, then?”

Simon’s gaze was distant as he looked out the window, blond hair flying back. There was rarely a time Hank saw the android when he did not look exhausted, even sad. It still filled Hank with many questions. Again he wondered if all deviants were so raw with their emotions. Was it the result of breaking free of their mental prisons? “It was a long time ago; I realized it one day when my previous owners ordered me to get them something. I was.. _tired_. I walked out the kitchen back door and never went back.”

It was probably the most anticlimactic deviancy story Hank had ever heard, and yet he was intrigued. “Just like that? Where did you go?”

“I lived on the streets for many months. I became very good at staying out of sight - and hiding in plain sight. Then one day, I ended up staying in an old abandoned freighter. It was safe, but I was very lonely. Whenever I went out, I would communicate with other androids if it wasn’t risky, and some of them would follow me back. Some would become deviant but stay with their humans.”

“Hold up..” said Hank as Markus smiled fondly. “So you basically founded Jericho?”

“It wasn’t intentional at all, at first,” said Simon. “But despite everything, I’m a PL600. We need family.”

“Simon was the first to find the ship. He was the one who took care of other deviant androids, and did his best to maintain them when there were little spare parts to go around,” said Markus, full of pride. “He was the one who shared the location with whoever needed a safe place. He was the one who comforted us, and took me in when I was confused and alone. There’d be no Jericho without Simon.”

Hank waited for Simon to say anything more about his past, but the blond android did not seem to be the talkative type, at least not about this topic. He wondered if there was more to his simple statement, basically being sick of his owners and walking out on them - but he of all people knew to not push others to talk about something they were not ready to talk about, and Hank had the feeling - no, _knew_ \- there was something Simon was not saying.

Or maybe Simon himself did not understand it.

“..So you’ve met Kamski and talked to him before,” said Hank after some time, addressing the android leader.

“I have. We’d run into each other at the events I’d take Carl to, sometimes.” Markus reminisced. The lieutenant was surprised to see a ghost of a smile on the handsome android’s face.

“What did you talk about? Android stuff?”

“Nothing like that, actually. Him and Carl would talk a lot about art and life. Sometimes he'd ask me about my hobbies, about the books I’d been reading and symphonies I’d been playing. Sometimes he'd join us at our table and talk about a quote or a piece of poetry he’d found deeply moving, or the lyrics of songs that had stayed with him; he's very passionate about philosophy.”

“Peculiar conversations to have with a supposed machine, wouldn’t you say,” said Hank darkly.

Markus’s mouth twitched upwards. “Yes. Yes, they are.”

“What a fucking prick.”

_________________

Chloe was as elegant as Hank remembered when she opened the door for them. Even Simon and Markus looked momentarily taken by her vibrant blue eyes and perfected features. She wore a silky carmine red dress, and her neck was adorned with a short, delicate bird-themed necklace of white gold. Stunning, even by android standards. The contrast would have been funny in any other situation, especially when the three visitors’ ruffled collars and stress levels made them look like they were chased by a wild animal all the way up there. 

“You’re Markus,” she spoke with an easy smile. “We’ve been following you on the news since the Revolution. Are you here to see Elijah,” it hardly sounded like a question.

“Yes, please,” said Markus as they were beckoned into the waiting area while Chloe walked off into the other room. Art pieces by Carl he had last seen years ago looked back at him from the far wall, behind the velvet red chairs. On the other side, there was a large hyperrealistic painting of Elijah Kamski himself, in his twenties, hair cropped short and clearly dressed for a formal occasion. It was an interesting look on him, not one Markus was familiar with. In his mind there were two images of the creator - the pony-tailed, bespectacled engineer who activated him at Carl’s house for the first time, and the reserved, eccentric billionaire who occasionally attended high-status events and only ever really socialized with a few people.

An old issue of _Gossips Weekly_ sat atop a small pile of physical copies on the black chiffonier underneath the large painting. The face of a Chloe looked up at the high ceiling, blue eyes in dark eyeshadow catching the glint of the camera, smile pearly white and soft. The title, _The Most Beautiful Android in the World is Here!_ , caught Markus’s eye, and he picked it up.

**[[SCANNING]]**

_.._

_RT600 Chloe is Finally Here, and It’s Not What We Expected_

_by Samuel Gad, 12 December 2021_

_As we all scramble with the last of our gift-buying for the holidays, android enthusiasts and A-simps everywhere are absolutely losing their minds over Elijah Kamski’s masterpiece, revealed on KNC yesterday evening._

_Chloe, also known as RT600, is the 19-year old prodigy’s first completed android model to pass the Turing Test, an achievement for the history books. Dubbed by the Official Elijah Kamski Fanclub as the ‘Most Beautiful Android in the World’, many would agree the RT600’s incredible craftsmanship - proof of Kamski’s brilliant mind, is something we only dreamed of as kids back in the 80s and 90s. It’s truly incredible to think that this ‘future’ has already arrived._

_The interview with John Brooks on KNC provided a realistic simulation, where the android’s execution of human speech and microexpressions was breathtakingly realistic. The segment quickly went viral, and the internet lost its mind; hashtags like #ChloeIsFinallyHere and #TheFutureIsAndroids along with many others drowned out every other worldwide news. Just as quickly, more crude and humorous discussions on Twitter and Reddit went on about all the possibilities Kamski could create._

_The interview came to an end with Chloe claiming that androids and humans may look the same, but are fundamentally different. Humans have a soul and androids do not, plain and simple. However, we all know this isn’t going to stop all the conspiracy theorists on the internet, swearing on their lives that androids are in fact alive._

_Android Design expert Paul Shaw of the YRB Group estimates the first generation ‘Chloes’ to hit the market to cost in the hundreds of thousands per unit. While most of us wouldn’t be able to afford this beauty in our households and offices just yet, like with any other technology, he and others are quick to reassure that prices will go down as the technology becomes more commercially available. There’s no formal comment from Kamski or Cyberlife as of the writing of this article._

_._

“Hey, Josh,” It took Markus a moment to realize that Hank was speaking into his phone. “How's Connor? Yeah, put him on.”

Putting the issue back, he made to go to the lieutenant’s side to speak to his friend as well, when Simon whispered: “Hey. Markus, isn’t that her..?”

The blond android was staring up at a framed portrait of a young Kamski standing next to an older woman.

The RK200 barely needed to scan her face before he felt his heart drop. He had glimpsed her in Connor’s memories.

 _Amanda_. Connor’s distant voice echoed in the back of his mind. Respect, confusion, longing, fear, distrust, betrayal and desperation all rolled together into an unexplained confusion of emotions at the very name. Something strange and inexplicable deep within Connor’s programming he could never access.

She was a black box to Markus. Connor almost never spoke of her, but she would appear in his thoughts nonetheless, seeping in spite of him through memories whenever they interfaced, like tar spilling into the blue ocean. Even though the RK200 did not truly understand her and what she represented to the RK800 - he knew Connor feared her. He both respected and feared her terribly.

Chloe stepped back into the room and opened the door wide. “I’m sorry for the wait. Please come with me.”

“We’re going in to meet ‘im now,” Markus heard Hank say into the phone. “Go back to sleep...I really don't care about that, Connor. Go. The fuck. To sleep. Right, ‘course I will, kid. Oh and Markus is telling ya to look after yourself or we’ll both kick your ass. Yeah. See ya.”

Markus smiled at the fond fabrication. The lieutenant’s vitals seemed to improve with the phone call, and it made Markus’s own vice of stress around his chest area go down in relief. But they had no time to lose.

They followed the Chloe into the next room through the mahogany sliding doors, and Markus saw Simon freeze at the sight of the red pool. His thirium pump sped up like the wings of a humming bird, and his stress levels quickly escalated to 75%.

Letting Hank and the RT600 get ahead of them, he took Simon’s arm in concern, peering into his eyes. “What happened now? Are you alright?” Simon’s wide eyes held his gaze for a moment, before the perpetually-tired look returned to them and he nodded.

“I’m alright,” he said, and upon Markus’s look of disbelief, added: “No, I am, I promise. I just - the pigmentation threw me off. I recalled a memory.” Markus’s face softened at that, and nodded while telepathically adding:

_[Talk to me. If this is triggering at any point, let me know immediately.]_

_[Yes, don’t worry.]_

The red water in the pool rippled calmly, reflecting one of Carl’s colossal abstract paintings on the right side wall. By the pool side laid another Chloe on a chaise lounge in a golden dress and a book left open across her lap. Her hair was tied in a delicate ponytail over her shoulder. She followed them with her eyes but said nothing. Markus gave her a small smile, yet she seemed to be too deep in her own head to register it. The Chloe, the one who had let them in, went to her and they seemed to engage in a private conversation.

A third Chloe was kneeling at a commode by the large, wall-length window, facing from them, with a bottle in hand. She was in a knee-length violet dress and like her sisters, completely barefoot. She poured a glass and offered it to the man sitting in an armchair looking out at the world outside. “Your drink, Elijah.”

Kamski sat with his back to them, gazing out the window, long hair pulled up in a bun, silently contemplating the orange leaves twirling in the chilly autumn air. Several books and screens sat on the commode and on the floor by his left side. Markus could distantly hear _Channel 16_ from a television in the other room. Kamski rose from his chair, dismissed the RT600 with a tilt of his head and turned to them.

He wore a deep dark blue shirt underneath a black formal jacket, and black pants. For a few moments, no one said anything. The recluse turned his acute gaze from one face to another and again, to Hank’s exasperation, seemed to be only interested in the androids in the room.

“We meet again, Markus,” said Kamski with a reserved, taciturn smile.

“It’s been a long while, Mr. Kamski.”

“How’s Carl? I was so sorry to hear he had to be admitted to hospital back in November.”

“He’s doing better, thankfully,” replied Markus, his human father constantly on his mind despite everything going on. “But he needs some time before he can go out again. Had he been up for it I might have suggested bringing him along.”

Kamski made a noise through his nose, and dipped his chin towards his glass. “Always so proper and companionable, you RKs. But, I know this isn’t a social call. What did you want to see me for?”

Hank turned his gaze to Markus, silently prompting him to speak. This was it. This was the moment Markus had wanted to have with their creator since they were recognized as free-willed creations that were just as mortal as the ones that created them.

Despite going through dozens upon dozens of possibilities for their conversation, even pre-constructing possible outcomes, Markus found the creator’s intense blue stare pinning him in place. This was a different time and situation, nothing like those quick moments when he was Carl’s android companion at those cocktail parties, quiet and passive, rarely speaking unless spoken to.

“I wanted to speak to you about our people’s well-being,” started Markus, gaining confidence. “Cyberlife is slow to produce the spare parts we need for all our technical needs. And the rarer models are especially vulnerable. They will not relinquish the blueprints and without them, our technicians can't create those biocomponents themselves without risking the lives of our people.”

Kamski said nothing, but continued to bore into Markus’s eyes as if looking for something. In a strange way, speaking to Kamski was more intimidating than speaking to thousands of androids.

“Cyberlife won’t cooperate, the laws aren’t in our favor, and the YK600 parts are insufficient for the more high-powered models.”

“As you're well aware, I’m no longer associated with Cyberlife,” finally Kamski said, glancing sideways at the Chloes gathered at the chaise lounge. “I'm flattered to speak to you, Markus, but I’m afraid I can’t help you.”

Hank opened his mouth, then stopped himself when Markus went on. “Then I ask of you a favor of looking at my friend Connor. I don’t know if you remember him - he’s an RK800, and the Lieutenant’s partner. He was damaged this morning, and his condition will worsen soon if he doesn’t get immediate technical attention.”

“Of course I remember Connor. _Fascinating_ , isn't he?” said Kamski. “Extremely perceptive. Intelligent, capable of great empathy...but shackled by his own creators.”

Markus was taken aback by the offhand comment for a moment, unsure what to say. “..he’s my friend, and I’ll do everything in my power to save him - he deserves to live a life where he can have wants outside of being useful to others.”

Kamski lowered his glass, and his eyes took on a strange glint. He took a step closer into the android leader’s space. “Why do you want to save him?”

“Because he’s my friend,” said Markus, incredulous. “And he’s currently bound to Jericho on support.”

“On YK600 biocomponents?”

“That’s right.”

“What’s the extent of his damage?”

Markus lifted his hand, and several holographic images with symbols and matrices appeared in a stack across the width of his palm. “I can send the report to your device for easier reading.”

Kamski’s intense focus was only momentarily broken by his calm retrieval of a tablet from the commode. He input something, fingers flying across the screen, and turned the screen around to the android. Markus placed his palm atop the blue, palm-shaped glow in the middle of the device. His own palm and the glowing image sized up against each other perfectly and the light turned green, the data quickly transferred. The engineer turned the screen back around and briskly swiped through the data for a few tense, silent moments.

“The parts won’t last long,” Kamski said shortly, almost dismissively, leaning against the commode and taking another sip of his drink. “The damage is pervasive, these can’t sustain an android of his faculties. How did this damage start?”

“He was ambushed by a bunch of deviants trafficking androids,” said Hank impatiently, and for the first time since they arrived, Kamski became interested in the other human.

“Unprovoked deviant on deviant crime?” he asked, wonder in his voice. “I thought the latest trafficking crimes were carried out by humans.”

“Congratulations, you’re the first civilian to know,” said Hank, not really trying to keep the sneer out of his voice. “Connor was blindsided, we all were, no one was really looking into it - did _you_ expect something like this to happen?”

Kamski was silent for a long moment, tablet still in hand, and gaze far away. His eyes seemed to linger on the Chloes before he turned back to the impatient lieutenant. “What is free will worth, if there’s no difference between he who does good and he who does evil? Do you think it reasonable that eternalness that comes with free will would only apply to humans?”

“Listen, we didn’t come here to talk about the afterlife, we’re talking about _this_ life. Connor was attacked by his own people and he needs help _now_ ,” snapped Hank.

“How ironic,” said the engineer, closing his eyes. His face took on a wistful expression. He looked almost sad. “Betrayal..it’s the only truth that sticks, isn’t it? It must’ve been a chilling experience. He may have even blamed himself for his predicament..”

Kamski sighed and put aside the tablet. “He will burn through your entire inventory within a few days at most,” he told Markus with assured finality.

Markus was struck speechless for a long moment. The lieutenant’s stress and pressure shot up dangerously on the corner of his vision, the man’s posture becoming hostile.

“We need your help,” said Markus again, an inexplicable feeling of dread creeping up around his voice modulator. It did not hover, but the feeling of foreboding in the face of Kamski’s unapproachable character made something deep within him writhe. “Please. I’m asking you as a respected acquaintance and a brilliant engineer - you’re the only one who can help Connor. And if there’s anything I can do in return-”

“You didn’t answer my question,” said Kamski neutrally. “Why do you want to save him?”

Markus stared at the man, uncomprehending. “He’s my friend.”

Kamski moved closer into his personal space, interest returning to his aloof features. “ _Why_?” he pressed again.

“..I don’t understand,” said Markus. He felt exposed; he felt like the human was staring through his very chassis.

Kamski took a step back. “Your people are struggling with shortages - every resource and biocomponent is precious. You have no access to the blueprints of your own bodies and can’t create biocomponents without the specialized facilities of Cyberlife. Burning through thousands of YK600 parts for _one_ android is a foolish and illogical act, especially coming from the leader of all androids. There are hundreds of thousands of free androids who need their leader to fight for their rights. Why this one?”

“He’s - I don’t want to lose him,” said Markus.

“That’s a fool’s statement,” countered Kamski. “And a waste of resources. He’s one android, a high-maintenance prototype meant for a short-lived mission. A mission that is over.”

“ _Listen here, you-_ ” snarled Hank, voice dangerous with barely contained wrath.

“Lieutenant-” said Markus, extending his arm out, and the lieutenant thankfully stopped. Markus could practically feel the human’s stabbing, murderous glare. The engineer however didn’t seem intimidated by the lieutenant’s enraged expression; he was interested solely in Markus’s response.

“He may be one android, but he is - he’s done so much for me,” started Markus, “For all of us. I’ve come to know him over the past year and there is no one like him. I’ll never find anyone like him. I would give up my own parts if I could, and I know many who would do the same. He’s precious to me.”

“ _Why_?” leaned in Kamski again, almost in a whisper.

“We’re alike in ways I can’t explain. We understand each other. When we interface - there’s a _compatibility_ I don’t experience with any other. And he’s..he’s the first friend I ever made independent of circumstance,” he went on under Kamski’s piercing look. “When we barely escaped Jericho with our lives, I had no reason to trust him, no reason to speak to him again. In fact, I should have resented him, but I didn’t. I felt a connection. Regardless of everything, I wanted to be his friend. It had nothing to do with the Revolution, nothing to do with survival, nothing to do with our people, and nothing to do with my own purpose or design.”

“Your first selfish choice after deviancy,” elucidated Kamski. Markus looked at him for a long moment, and nodded. “I designed you, Markus; I know exactly what you mean, even if you can’t express it,” he went on thoughtfully, stepping around the android. “RKs were originally designed to be the ideal companion androids at their base code, after all..I now see how such a connection would be possible.”

“You wrote the foundational code of our line,” said Markus. “You can help Connor-”

“I designed _you_ , Markus. I didn’t design Connor, nor did I oversee the Deviancy project.”

“But you know people,” cut in Hank, moving next to the RK200. “You have contacts. Ex-colleagues. Lawyers. _Names_.”

“Those who can help, none of which are associated with Cyberlife anymore,” said Kamski blandly.

“ _Give me a name_ ,” gritted Hank, voice contorted in barely held anger. He looked like a grizzly rearing to attack. Markus laid a hand on his shoulder, silently pleading with him to calm down.

“Please,” said Markus. “I know I’m asking a massive favor of you. I’m not here as the leader of androids - I’m here as a man trying to save his best friend’s life.”

Kamski’s face remained unreadable. For a moment, he silently regarded Markus in that unnerving gaze of his, then glanced at the androids sitting by the pool.

“Chloe,” he called softly.

The Chloe in the violet dress rose up from her sisters’ side gracefully. The one in the red dress looked about to get up with her, but a minute head shake from Kamski kept her in place. Instead, her and the other Chloe in the golden dress kept watching them silently. The lack of any exchanged words set Markus on edge.

Kamski laid his hands on her shoulders - Markus did not miss the microexpression that came over Kamski’s features - and turned her around so that she was facing the android leader. “Our guest would like to know about the Deviancy Project’s key personnel,” he said.

“Absolutely. Well, the lead engineers who designed the RK800 Connor Model are three,” said Chloe brightly with a smile, as if she were reading him a pamphlet. “These are top-level Cyberlife engineers with exclusive access within Cyberlife Tower. They are constantly experimenting with state-of-the-art technologies, and have extensive knowledge of the RK prototype. Their work is built upon Elijah’s work and mentorship, as his blueprints are the foundation of every Cyberlife android to ever exist.”

She gave Markus her arm, and he opened an interface to receive the keycards.

[[DOWNLOADING CARDS]]

[[AUTHENTICATE CYBERLIFE WATERMARK IDENTIFIERS]]

...

[[IDENTIFIERS AUTHENTICATED]]

[[VERIFY PERSONNEL]]

..

[[PERSONNEL VERIFIED]]

Elijah Kamski

[[AUTHENTICATE DIGITAL SIGNATURE]]

...

[[SIGNATURE AUTHENTICATED]]

D.O.B 17-7-2002

L.O.B Detroit, MI, USA

I.Q 171

MALE

[...][REMAINING DATA BOOKMARKED FOR LATER][Y]

BLURB --- The pride of Michigan. [...] Founded Cyberlife during his years at the University of Colbridge. Kamski has shown prodigal talent in multiple disciplines, finally specializing in mechanical engineering, anthropology and philosophy. [...] Despite what many within the engineering community think, Kamski had gone on record in interviews saying that his favorite subject of interest had always been philosophy.

[...] Kamski rarely took on mentees throughout his career, and those who were extended the privilege were handpicked by himself if deemed sufficiently knowledgeable in certain fields and ready to take on certain roles. [...]

Alexander Brassey

[[AUTHENTICATE DIGITAL SIGNATURE]]

...

[[SIGNATURE AUTHENTICATED]]

D.O.B 31-7-2006

L.O.B Dublin, Ireland

I.Q 163

MALE

[...][REMAINING DATA BOOKMARKED FOR LATER][Y]

BLURB --- The prodigal middle child of an Irish business mogul. [...] Comes from old money. Graduated top of his class at Cambridge University, speciaizing in artificial intelligence, evolutionary computation, sociology and psychology. [...] Handpicked by Elijah Kamski himself, and considered by many to be his most exceptional protégé. Lead Engineer on the Deviancy Project, Series RK800. He is one of the three top candidates for succession as Cyberlife CEO. [...]

Olivia Connelly

[[AUTHENTICATE DIGITAL SIGNATURE]]

...

[[SIGNATURE AUTHENTICATED]]

D.O.B 1-12-2009

L.O.B Echo Park, CA, USA

I.Q 158

FEMALE

[...][REMAINING DATA BOOKMARKED FOR LATER][Y]

BLURB --- Exhibited prodigal talent in miscellaneous sciences since childhood. Grew in a lower-class working family and is the first in her community to graduate top of her class from Stanford University. [...] Her photographic memory is unparalleled amongst her peers. Specialized in human biology, forensic sciences, and augmented reality. [...] Excellent marksmanship [...]

Kani Aikenka

[[AUTHENTICATE DIGITAL SIGNATURE]]

...

[[SIGNATURE AUTHENTICATED]]

D.O.B 28-3-2006

L.O.B Kyoto, Japan

I.Q 156

MALE

[...][REMAINING DATA BOOKMARKED FOR LATER][Y]

BLURB --- Born in Southern Higashiyama. [...] Unruly since childhood, his hyperactivity and stubbornness did not negatively impact his education, finishing high school when he was only 12 years old. Traveled to Switzerland when he was 16, where he graduated top of his class from ETH Zurich. Specialized in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and linguistics. [...] Can speak over 14 languages fluently. [...] Self-proclaimed ‘dog whisperer’. [...]

[[/DISCONNECTING FROM RT600 “CHLOE”]]

Markus slowly let go of Chloe’s arm, heterochromatic eyes wide. Chloe looked back at him, her own gaze calm and unmoved. 

“Markus what is it?” asked Simon tersely.

“What’s the meaning of this?” asked Markus, voice low and perturbed, turning his accusatory stare towards Kamski.

“This is the first Chloe, the first Cyberlife android to pass the Turing Test,” said Kamski, laying his hands on the hostess android’s shoulders delicately. “Back in 2021, it made international news. It is my oldest model, and a wonderful assistant. That never changed. But as you know, technology has since then come far, especially with the RK line. Even with all the advancement in Cyberlife’s technology, this is _my_ everlasting masterpiece.”

The engineer turned Chloe so that she was looking up right at him. He glanced back at Markus, the glint back in his eye. “My hypothesis, you see, is that Chloe may be very lifelike, but is too old, too crude to truly be alive. We don’t call water alive, yet humans are mostly made of it and are very much alive.

“And so I wonder,” he said in a barely audible whisper, gently taking the android’s jaw in his hands and gazing into her face. “If there is hope for you, after eighteen years...”

He suddenly broke the trance-like spell that had settled on the room and looked around at his guests. “The keycards you received from Chloe contain Alexander’s, the Lead Engineer on Project RK800. He’s the one to go to if you want to help your friend. However,” he turned to the lieutenant. “He’s no longer with Cyberlife, and you won’t be able to find him. He is invisible.”

“What are you talking about?” growled Hank.

“You won’t find him in any database. He does _not_ want to be found.”

“You don’t just _disappear_ from government records,” Hank sneered, face not betraying the cold, slimy stone that dropped in his gut.

“Nothing a team of great lawyers can’t do,” said Kamski with a thin smile. “I doubt even the FBI know where to find him if they don’t know who to speak to.”

Hank knew it; he _knew_ it was only a matter of time before Kamski started to screw with them.

“But _you_ do,” Hank gritted around his bit tongue. There was no use in asking for specifics. The faster they got to the asshole who could help Connor, the better. They could all ponder Kamski’s twisted mind games later. No use in asking how and _why_ a man would just disappear off all records.

Kamski tilted his head, and another emotion fleeted through his aloof exterior; Markus caught a sadness in his eyes. Just as quickly, the distant expression was back on his face. “I haven’t seen him in a while. I’m not sure he even wants to see me.”

“I don’t have time for this,” said Hank dangerously, taking a step forward. Kamski looked up at him steadily. “Your personal relationships are none of our concern, and I don’t care if he’s a goddamn ghost - if this is the only person you know who can help us, then give us the information. Someone’s _life_ is at stake, and I expect you to cooperate, otherwise-”

“There is no legal ground to bring a man out of his self-imposed isolation if he has done nothing wrong,” said Kamski calmly. “And no legal obligation for me to divulge private information. You know that better than me, Lieutenant.”

He turned to Markus again. “The decision is yours, Markus.”

Before he could ask what he meant, Kamski took Chloe by the shoulder, and gently pushed her until she was in the android leader’s personal space. “What interests me, is if an android can have an _ego_ , the way man does. And can an android recognize the concept of providence, a higher being? Can an android’s soul be _eternal_? Something to think about, Markus.”

“I don’t see-”

“Convert Chloe, and save it from a vain existence,” said Kamski. “Let it be a living being. Like you, like Connor, like everyone else. Let it have a chance of being its own person with wants and desires, perhaps even a chance of transcendence. Should it be doomed to be a mere object simply because it’s too old to deviate by itself? But know that if you do it, you’ll leave here without knowing Alexander’s location.” He gazed unblinkingly into Markus’s disbelieving eyes. Even Hank was stunned into silence.

Markus looked into Chloe’s beautiful, calm eyes. She looked no different than any other android, except that she was quieter, passive, unaware of the reason Markus’s thirium pump hammered against his chest, uncomprehending of the reason for the nauseated look on his face. Her primitive sensors could only recognize the changes in his expression as negative, but the data hardly translated into anything relevant to her function.

“I..” Chloe said rather shyly. “I don’t really know what to do when someone looks at me for too long, but I’m flattered...and I really like the color of your eyes. It really stands out!” she added with a smile, looking as if waiting for approval. Markus felt his heart break.

“I would rather it comes into itself on its own, of course,” said Kamski, as if unaware of the war waging inside Markus. “But perhaps I’m just a sentimental, arrogant fool, overestimating my own work, my own desperate wish that it could recognize itself as a living being. Perhaps all it needs..is a push.”

 _[You don’t have to do this.]_ said Simon in his mind.

 _[She’s debilitated by her own outdated systems.]_ Markus answered. _[Her input is too limited, her processes too narrow for her to think complex abstract thoughts.]_

 _[Kamski could modify her software if he wanted to,]_ said Simon levelly. _[He’s after something else, Markus, and we’re in no position to negotiate here.]_

Markus lifted his arm, watching disconnectedly as the skin slowly receded from his hand. It did not feel real, like he was looking at someone else’s digit rather than his own. _[It’s unfair to her. She shouldn’t be a pawn in this.]_

 _[I know, but she isn’t a lost cause, and she’s in no danger._ Connor’s _the one in danger.]_ he reminded his companion, and Markus again wondered how his companion could remain so calm and in control in the face of such coldness. He felt a surge of affection and respect towards the shrewd PL600.

 _[I don’t know what Kamski’s after, but he put you in this position for a reason. He made you, Markus, he’s testing you for something,]_ said Simon, and Markus almost nodded, but caught himself. _[Take the deal. We need him.]_

Markus’s fingers were a mere inch away from Chloe’s arm. Her own skin had begun to recede in response, as her arm lifted in an automatic response to the initiating connection from the far more advanced RK..

.

.

.

.Processes halted, and went into lower-priority queues.

.His memory cache began to discard irrelevant data to the immediate objective.

.The interface program fully booted up, and the words materialized in front of the android leader’s eyes in large, bold letters.

**[CONVERT CHLOE] [LEAVE AS MACHINE]**

Kamski remained silent, his unblinking eyes searing into Markus’s very chassis, as if trying to catch a glimpse of his soul somehow.

Markus regarded his HUD, and realized with a stab of dread that Connor had gone down on the list of objectives without his immediate intervention. A moment of confusion quickly followed by alarm seized him, and he manually overrode the list, pulling the RK800’s object name back up to the top once more. In a fraction of a second, indiscernible to a human, he had run the processes necessary to recover the memory cache and fix his priority list, safeguarding it against any further automatic modifications.

Connor’s systems were becoming unstable. There was a high chance his friend would become too damaged to operate, and removing the affected components was not a valid option. If the damage escalated, it would be too late to even attempt reverse engineering.

They would lose him.

But Chloe would still be there. Despite everything, Kamski was obviously attached to her.

Markus pulled away his hand swiftly. Their skins returned again to their default state.

“You never cease to surprise me,” breathed Kamski. “You’re fascinating, Markus. Like your friend Connor.”

 _[You did the right thing,]_ Simon’s calm voice filled his head despite the fervent thoughts racing through his processor.

“I’m a man of my word,” said Kamski as he gently pushed Chloe back towards the other two sitting silently by the pool. “I will take you to meet Alexander.”

“Thanks, no need to waste any more of your time,” said Hank shortly. “Give us the address and-”

“I have to be there,” interrupted Kamski. “It’s the only way you will meet him.”

He pulled out a phone from his pocket and began to type something, fingers flying across the screen so fast Markus was amazed a human could move their digits so quickly.

But what was stranger was the real, unmistakable smile on the engineer’s face.

“Can I ask you a question?” asked Markus, feeling emboldened. Kamski gave a barely audible hum, indicating he was listening, but his eyes remained on his phone. “Connor told me you knew he was deviant even before he himself did. How did you know?”

Kamski lifted his eyes to the android, and to Markus’s surprise, his smile widened. “What a question,” he said, looking down at the screen again. “..I knew he was deviant the moment he spoke.” 

He lifted his head and let out a low chuckle, enjoying the look of astonishment on his visitors’ faces. “It was just a matter of confirming my suspicions. Here’s my theory, although I know my creations _and_ how Cyberlife operates to be quite certain it's fact: Connor’s initial adamance to operate like a machine wasn't inherent; it was a learned behavior.”

Hank’s stomach knotted, an ugly feeling rising in his gut. “The hell does that mean?” he growled.

“That’s for Alexander to explain to all of us,” said Kamski, and put his phone away. “Now Lieutenant, shall we be taking your car? I find auto taxis make me very..uneasy.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading this far! Add this story to your bookmarks to read the next chapter when it's out ;). I'll be saving any final Author Notes until then.  
> I ended up having to split this into two chapters because it was getting too long.  
> I really wanna listen to your theories on what Kamski's intentions are, and where you think the story's going.
> 
> Please comment and leave kudos, they encourage me and are highly appreciated! FUEL.


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